It's What Makes Us Human: It's Christmas!
by Soapy Water xx
Summary: Christmas Outtakes from It's What Makes Us Human.  It's Christmas 2011; how do the Cullens and Leah celebrate?  Enjoy Emmett's hyper antics, Edward's Christmas Carols, and a bit of romance under the mistletoe.  Rated T for language.  R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A.N: Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Obvs. **

**Enjoy the Christmas Outtakes of It's What Makes Us Human. Remember, this is kinda crucial to the plot. **

Chapter 1 – We Wish You a Wombling Merry Christmas

"_We wish you a Wombling Merry Christmas…" _

Emmett's taste of Christmas music shouldn't have surprised me – but it did. He just didn't seem like the type of person to enjoy 'Wombling Merry Christmas' – but he obviously loved it as he bounced up and down in the front seat of the jeep, singing along at the top of his voice.

"_All day long, we will be wombling in the snow… we wish you a Wombling Merry Christmas," _the enthusiastic, childish vampire sang, grinning. I was silently amused by his display – Emmett's deep booming voice made the rocky music sound incredibly odd, but it somehow worked.

Since my foot had healed, and I'd found myself able to walk without injuring myself, I'd left the Cullen's crypt at every possible opportunity. It wasn't that I disliked their home – quite the opposite, I loved the large mansion – it was just that I'd seen more than enough of it in the past couple of weeks.

That was the excuse I'd given to Edward when I told him I wanted to go shopping with Emmett. The Cullens bought new Christmas decorations every year, and this year was no different. Apparently, Esme and Alice were normally in charge of the décor of the house, but Emmett had begged, pleaded and cried – metaphorically – until the two female vampires caved.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Emmett?" I asked as he turned off at the wrong junction. It led away from Seattle, towards Olympia, which was at least another two hours away. We'd already been driving for an hour. I didn't know how much more of 'Wombling Merry Christmas' I could take.

"Are you doubting my shopping skills, wolf girl?" Emmett challenged, glaring at me. Behind his eyes, I could see his playful demeanour, but I played along, creating a scared façade as I shrunk back into my seat.

"No," I replied, my voice shaking. Emmett nodded in satisfaction, turning his attention back to the Wombles. "Bloodsucker," I added under my breath. Emmett grinned, rolled his eyes at me and turned the stereo up a bit, singing along even louder.

I sighed heavily.

Trying to distract myself, I turned my attention to the decorations. The Cullen household was quite a big place – they were going to need a lot of decorations. Tinsel, a bunch of trees for around the house, fairy lights, baubles, snowflakes… the list of necessities seemed endless.

Fun.

XXX

"Emmett, are we nearly there yet?"

We had been driving for roughly two hours. I'd slept twice, for about half an hour each time. I was bored though, and my legs were stiff. I needed to move about, regain feeling in my feet. However, Emmett was oblivious to the lack of feeling in my legs.

"Nearly," Emmett replied. _"We wish you a Wombling Merry Christmas…" _

"Can we listen to something else other than The Wombles?" I demanded. The song was running through my head on repeat. I knew it would take days for it to get out of my head.

"I don't have anything else," Emmett said, smiling sheepishly. I rolled my eyes at him, a smile automatically forming on my face. He was such a goof. "Hang on, check the glove box," he gestured to the huge black compartment in front of me.

"And there are no bugs in there?" I checked.

"No bugs," Emmett replied. Confusion covered his face as he tilted his head to one side, looking at me through marginally narrowed eyes. "Are you scared of bugs or something?"

"I just don't like 'em," I admitted, feeling a bit stupid. I stuck my hand into the box, rummaging around and finally pulling out a plastic CD case. It was a clear case, coated in a thick layer of dust. Coughing slightly, I opened the case and slotted the CD into the CD player. Of course, Emmett had a high end CD player that could take twenty CDs at once.

We both waited with bated breath, incredibly curious. A second later, we heard the intro to the music, and Emmett's face lit up as if Christmas was coming early. He looked absolutely thrilled. Confused, I listened in.

"_Welcome to my Christmas song… I'd like to thank you for the year... So I'm sending you this Christmas card… to say it's nice to have you here…" _

I could recognise Elton John's song, 'Step Into Christmas' but there was something off about the voice. It seemed too rough, incredibly in tune. I listened in further, and then suddenly, I recognised the voice just as the chorus hit.

"_Step into Christmas, bands come together, we can watch the snow forever and ever!" _the voice of Edward Cullen sang. I didn't know how I hadn't recognised his voice sooner. As soon as I realised it was him, I burst into laughter. Tears of mirth poured down my cheeks as I gasped for breath, my cheeks bright red by the time I'd finished laughing.

"How did you get him to do this!" I demanded, barely able to contain my laughter.

"We had a bet in 1973… I won, he lost. This was my price," Emmett seemed incredibly pleased with himself. "I forgot I'd converted it to CD. Ah, good times. I'll have to blackmail him with this later."

I laughed.

"Hey Leah, we're here," Emmett said, suddenly swinging the steering wheel around and pulling into a parking space. I hadn't even realised we'd arrived at the Olympia Shopping Centre.

"Are you ready to face my amazingly awesome shopping skills?" Emmett asked, in a deliberately deep booming voice. I could feel the car vibrating due to the deep bass of his voice.

"I sure am bloodsucker," I grinned, climbing out of the car, slamming the door behind me.

XXX

"Do we really need all of this?"

I had learnt it was an incredibly bad idea to shop with Emmett. He'd picked up everything Christmassy – the trolley I was pushing was filled with strips of tinsel. Emmett was pushing two trolleys, one of which held a seven foot tree, three five foot trees, five mini trees and ten boxes of baubles. The other was filled with fairy lights, as well as more trees, more baubles, and some different decorations. There were also several different types of chocolate crammed into the top of the trolley.

"Yes! It's necessary," Emmett said. He looked around, his eyes locking on a string of Christmas styled bunting. They had Christmas trees, fairies, presents and Santas on them. He grabbed a bunch, adding them to the trolley.

"We're going to need another trolley," Emmett said. "Leah, can you handle two?"

"Sure," I replied. If I didn't protest, we could get everything quickly. I wasn't sure about the realism of the situation. What human could manage all of Emmett's shopping without help anyway? We were already getting funny looks.

"I'll take the left aisles, you take the right ones. If you see anything that looks Christmassy, grab two. Okay?" Emmett said to me eagerly.

"Sure," I replied, before we went our separate ways.

I picked up two toy Christmas trees as I made my way back towards the trolley storage area. Two children were messing around in one of the aisles, playing with toy snowmen from the shelves. As soon as they saw my trolley, their eyes grew wide with surprise and their mouths hung open as they stared, unabashed.

I had half a mind to say something, scare the two little kids off, but changed my mind just as my phone rang. I adjusted the trolley so that I could push it with one hand, putting the phone to my ear as I answered.

"Hello?"

"_Hello," _Edward replied smoothly. It shouldn't have surprised me that he was calling – Ed had been very tense since the Newborn Battle, always checking up on me. It was half annoying, but half sweet. It was nice to know that he cared about my wellbeing so much.

"Guess what I listened to in the car?" I said, thinking back to 'Step Into Christmas.' A smile automatically formed on my face as I fought to stop myself laughing aloud.

"_Surprise me," _Edward replied. I could picture the smirk on his face.

"Step Into Christmas," I told him, expecting him to get it straight off.

"_Elton John?" _he asked, obviously not understanding. _"I didn't picture you as an Elton John kind of person Leah." _

"Not exactly. His song, but someone else singing," I said. He'd have to be exceptionally thick not to get it now.

"_The Business?" _

Okay, so he was exceptionally thick.

"No, you, you idiot!" I replied. "Apparently, you and Emmett had some kind of bet, but you lost… and that was his price. Anyway, he's converted it to CD and he's going to use it for blackmail at some point. I didn't know you were such a good singer, Ed."

"…_Ugh," _Edward groaned. _"Please tell me you're joking." _

"Nope."

He groaned again, I could almost hear him tangling his fingers in his hair as he attempted to wrench the strands from his head. A low sigh came from his end of the line; I decided to quickly change the subject.

"Remind me to never come Christmas shopping with Emmett again," I said.

"_That bad?" _Edward demanded, seeming a little more upbeat now. I was glad – moping Edward wasn't fun to be around. He just wandered around with a lost expression, occasionally having angry outbursts.

"Yup. He's got two trolleys, I've got another, just about to get the forth one. He's got about twelve Christmas trees, chocs, sweets, wrapping paper, fairy lights… it's ridiculous, he's gone way overboard. I don't think I'm gonna survive."

Edward laughed, the sound was throaty and it brought back fond memories – Tag at Halloween, the JCB Tough Phone, ginger hair… though I hadn't known Edward for very long, it seemed as if I'd known him for most of my life. He was my best friend.

"_You better," _he said, _"if Emmett comes back without you, I'll be sure to shred him into tiny pieces and burn them in your memory." _

I laughed – but I wasn't sure if he was joking.

"I better go," I told him. "Talk to you later?"

"_Okay Leah," _Edward replied. _"See you later." _

There was a beep as the line disconnected.

I pocketed my phone, quickly grabbing my second trolley before doing as Emmett had commanded, wandering up and down the aisles, grabbing everything Christmassy I could find.

I walked slowly around another corner, trying to make it seem as if I was struggling a little with the two trolleys, and gasped in shock as Emmett appeared before me, a wide beaming smile plastered to his face. He quickly shoved two different advent calendars into my face.

"Chocolate or pictures?" Emmett demanded, thrusting the advent calendars into my arms. He folded his arms, and he would have looked threatening – if he wasn't stood behind two trolleys filled with Christmas Trees and chocolate snowmen.

"Don't know," I replied. I hadn't invested in an advent calendar for many years. Emmett looked scandalised at my response, but then shrugged it off and chucked both of the calendars into his overflowing trolley.

"I think you're starting to blow our cover," I told Emmett quietly. He sighed heavily, seeming a little angry.

"You're right," he said. He turned around slowly, looking for anybody close. Then, he grabbed one of the massive Christmas trees from the abandoned trolley beside him, quickly chucking it into one of my two trolleys.

"Emmett!" I hissed.

"Run!" he said, bolting down the nearest aisle and disappearing out of sight. I let out a frustrated noise and followed his lead, annoyed with the childish vampire. I was gonna let him have it when I saw him next.

Once far enough away from the 'crime scene' I slowed my steps and sauntered leisurely through the aisles, examining the items on the shelves. A couple of items caught my eyes but I didn't pick up anything. I was already extremely conspicuous – I didn't need to pile up my trolley anymore.

As I rounded the next corner, I jumped out of my skin as I heard Emmett's voice yell:

"LEAH!"

I groaned aloud as I saw the childish vampire; then my groan turned into a ragged noise of annoyance. He was being a complete idiot; he was wrestling an _old lady _for a seven foot Christmas tree. She had short grey hair, and wore a pair of gold spindly glasses on her nose.

"This is mine!" she said, tugging the Christmas tree back a little as she glared at Emmett.

He retaliated quickly, tugging the tree back and practically hissing at her; "I saw it first!"

"Finders keepers buddy," the woman replied heatedly, pulling it back.

"No!" Emmett practically snarled.

"Respect your elders!" she replied, tugging once again.

"I am much older than –"

It was about time for me to intervene. I slapped a hand over Emmett's mouth and gave the woman an apologetic look.

"He's very passionate about Christmas," I told her. I wrenched Emmett's hands from the tree and glared at him; he seemed to shrink under my stern gaze. "I'm very sorry about him."

"Hmph," the woman replied grumpily, disappearing from the aisle with her large tree held aloft.

"Meanie," Emmett said to me once she had disappeared.

"Emmett, she already had the damned tree; there are gonna be loads more!"

"I wanted that one," he said stubbornly. He looked around, something catching his eye as he squealed like a baby and then disappeared from my sight.

"Damned vampire," I muttered, following him.

I let out a sound of annoyance as I finally caught up with Emmett; I could barely make out his massive form. He was covered in ivy, mistletoe clumps, holding _another damned tree _and several containers filled with baubles.

Emmett seemed to notice my presence; he beamed and then announced smugly;

"I think we've bought everything Christmassy they have here."

"Does that mean we can leave?" I asked eagerly.

Emmett let out a raucous laugh, throwing his head back. He beamed at me.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "There are LOADS more shops to get to yet!"

I let out a long, ragged groan.

Note to self: Never go shopping with Emmett again.

XxXxXxX

**A.N: I need to edit chapter 2 a little, it's already written so it should be up in a couple of hours. I've worked my ass off to get this ready in time, so y'all should drop me a line (REVIEW THAT MEANS! OR ELSE NO MORE OUTTAKES) I do accept anonymous reviews, just say hi, tell me what you're getting for Xmas, what you thought of the chap, etc… lol. **

**Soap x **


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: Well then, that was quicker than I expected. Special thanks to Baddie the insanely awesome beta of mine, who gave the entire thing a read through last night so that I could put this story up before Xmas : ) **

Chapter 2 – Advent Calendars and Decorating

Apparently, shopping with Emmett was a lot more strenuous than I first realised. We hit another three more shops before I announced that I was too tired to move anymore, and once we were back in the jeep, I quickly fell asleep in the passenger seat. I stayed unconscious for the rest of the night.

I awoke in my room, to the sound of Alice and Edward arguing in hushed whispers. I opened one eye blearily, focusing on the two vampires who were arguing at the foot of my bed. Edward looked angry, hands clenched into fists, while Alice looked impassive, a smirk present on her face.

"You're going to wake her up!" Edward hissed quietly.

"Too late," Alice sang, smugness radiating from her small frame. The two immediately turned to me, Edward looked shocked – Alice just looked amused as she waved one of her tiny hands at me, beaming with enthusiasm.

"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded grouchily, rubbing sleep from my eyes. "I thought we agreed, no entering my room unless it's obvious that I'm awake and decent."

"Sorry Lee, Alice wanted to wake you up earlier and play dress up, but she wouldn't leave your room when I asked her to on your behalf," Edward told me, formal as ever. When I thought that, his usual crooked smile twisted up the left side of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed slightly as he let out a throaty chuckle.

Typical Edward.

"No Alice," I said immediately, when I noticed the hopeful expression on her face. Instantly, her smile faded and her eyes widened as she quickly pulled out the puppy dog pout, her bottom lip jutting out as she looked at the ground. I ignored her – despite the cuteness that was the puppy dog pout, it had no effect on me. I was immune to Alice's second vampire power.

She glared at me when I folded my arms and looked at her impatiently, before flouncing out of the room, nose in the air. Edward looked at me, amusement shining in his golden eyes.

"How do you do that?"

"I'm special," I replied, grinning as I pretended to tip my hat. Edward let out another throaty chuckle, before grabbing one of my hands and holding it in his own. I was a little stunned at his actions, but didn't say anything, just waited.

"You're warm," he told me, before releasing my hand. His eyes were filled with warmth and happiness now. I smiled back at him, tapped him on the nose twice for good measure before skipping into the bathroom.

"Alice laid out some Christmassy clothes for you," he called out behind me.

"Shit, I just can't beat that evil pixie can I?" I chuckled, closing the door behind me and getting ready to start the day.

XxXxXxX

"_He's making a list, checking it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty and nice – Santa Claus is coming to town…" _

I rolled my eyes as Emmett sauntered through the room, a string of tinsel wrapped tightly around his neck, a Santa hat crammed onto his big head. He was also wearing a red polar neck jumper with a Christmas tree on the front. He really did have extreme Christmas spirit.

Edward – who was sat opposite me – chuckled at this thought, quirking an eyebrow and tilting his head ever so slightly. I ignored him, picking up another slice of toast and devouring it instantly.

I knew hanging around with Edward would affect my vocabulary.

He laughed openly at this, eyes lighting up. I rolled my eyes, ignored his childish antics. Unfortunately, this thought only made him laugh harder.

"A couple of months ago, you were the childish one and I was the mature adult with a wide range of vocabulary. Now look at us," he said, sniggering.

"I had 'a wide range of vocabulary' before I met you, thank you very much! You don't need to hang out with a hundred year old vampire to get good language," I glared at him, daring him to question me.

"I'm sure you had 'good language' before you met me Leah," he said, humouring me – though I could hear the way he put quotation marks around 'good language.'

Once again opting to ignore the immature vampire, I ate another few slices of toast and a fried egg…

…Along with two rashes of bacon, four sausages, another two fried eggs, five slices of eggy bread and a glass of water.

Edward seemed a little stunned at the amount I ate. Instantly, he seemed a little worried, as all of the food Esme had made me was gone.

"Do you want some more? Bella never ate very much…" I grinned at him playfully, before putting my hand to my stomach and groaning as if I was in pain. Edward watched me in alarm.

"Ohhh… I need more foood…" I moaned, putting my hand to my head. It was obvious I was play acting, but Edward didn't seem to get it as his eyes widened in alarm.

"Don't worry Leah, I'll get you something," he dashed to the cupboards at vampire speed, and barely a second later, a wide assortment of food was laid out in front of me. He looked at me with nothing but concern in his eyes; I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"How fat do you think I am?" I got out through my chuckles. He seemed to pick up on the fact that I'd been teasing him at this point, and an embarrassed expression appeared on his face. The excess food disappeared within a couple of seconds.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly once he returned.

"Why were you so bothered Ed?" I asked, still a little amused. He shrugged one shoulder and turned away from me, washing my plate in the sink.

"I can do that," I started, but he'd already finished.

"But I can do it faster," he grinned.

"Leah!" Emmett exclaimed enthusiastically, shocking me. Despite my werewolf senses, vamps were very fast and very quiet. I whirled around, defensive instincts causing me to bring my hand up and punch a now startled Emmett in the nose.

"Oh Em, I'm sorry," I said apologetically. "You made me jump."

"It's okay," he replied, rubbing his nose. "Ouch," he whispered.

"What did you want buddy?"

"I thought you'd want to help decorate Eddie's room," Emmett's smile returned as he spoke, not deterred after being hit in the face.

"Of course!" I jumped up from my seat, grinning at Edward – who was now scowling murderously at his brother. "Is Eddie joining us?"

"Don't call me Eddie," Edward snapped.

"No," Emmett answered the question for him, "it's going to be a surprise. No reading our thoughts either bro."

"Or I'll punch you in the face," I added, grinning and raising an eyebrow. Despite how Edward never seemed too phased by my hitting him, I occasionally saw him wince in pain when I recounted the occasions in my head.

Emmett led me upstairs, carrying four boxes. I carried another two; apparently I was weaker than Emmett when it came to carrying Christmas decorations.

"Here we go!" he said, flinging Edward's door open with a little too much force. I heard it bang against the wall, heard the plaster strain under the force. Emmett looked a little abashed but quickly recovered, entering the room with a five foot Christmas tree in one hand.

"He's still got that stupid bed," he muttered. There was a pause; "oh wait, you're sleeping in there aren't you Leah."

"Yes I am, stupid," I said, hitting him on the head. Emmett smoothed out his hair and looked at me apologetically. I waved him off; Emmett was Emmett.

Emmett was in charge of the décor; he'd already planned it. Despite Emmett's childish personality and bumptious demeanour, he was a deep person. I'd found out that he liked to draw pictures, particularly in charcoal. It came as no surprise to me when he pulled out a piece of thick drawing paper, with the layout of Edward's room drawn onto it. There was an aerial view, with labels, and an artistic one, showing the room from the entrance once we had finished.

"Nice," I said, looking appreciatively at the drawings. There would be two Christmas trees, one five foot and one seven foot, either side of the window. We would sprinkle confetti and spread tinsel over his CDs, have a load of Christmas bunting going across his windows, blocking the view. There was some fake ivy to be draped around the bed; Emmett had left it well alone after realising that I was sleeping in Edward's bed.

"What about…" I grinned at an idea. Emmett had bought about ten eight kilogram bags of confetti… "if we use some of your confetti, and put it…" I lowered my voice to a whisper, "in a bucket over his door. Then, when he comes into the room, he'll be showered."

"Nice one little sis!" Emmett exclaimed, hi-fiving me. I had to stand on my tiptoes to read his hand. I could feel my cheeks heat when he called me little sis; it was nice to be accepted fully by Emmett even though his wife hated me.

"Come on," he said, passing me the smaller tree. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

XxXxXxX

**A.N: Review, as a Christmas Present? **


	3. Chapter 3

A.N: Sorry that it took so long; this chapter took ages to write. I couldn't think of the perfect present for Edward and Leah… hopefully this isn't too cliché. Next chapter should be up today or tomorrow at the latest.

**Please review! **

XxXxXxX Chapter 3 – Christmas Day

"Leah..."

I opened my eyes slowly, a groan coming from my mouth as I looked around the room. The lights were turned off and there was no light coming through the curtains. Since my complaints about privacy, Edward had invested in some golden brown curtains for me.

"What?" I demanded, my voice thick with sleep. Edward sat down on the edge of the double bed; I felt it sink under his weight.

"Wake up," he replied. I closed my eyes, ignoring him. I felt him move slightly and then his freezing cold hand touched my cheek.

"Get off..." I grumbled. "I thought you were being thoughtful and considerate."

He ignored me; I opened one eye and saw the blinding smile plastered to his face. Apparently Edward's mood couldn't be destroyed on Christmas day.

"Come on Leah," Edward whined at me. "It's Christmas!"

"Ugh," I moaned, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. I looked around; Edward's smile was huge. "What time is it?"

"Six thirty," he said, unabashed.

"What?" I demanded. "Fuck off Edward it's a Saturday."

"But it's Christmas!" Edward pleaded.

"No." I said flatly.

"Please," Edward said, sounding defeated. "I want to give you your present."

I opened one eye again, and saw Edward was sat close to me, eyes wide and pleading, shining gold in the dark. I could feel myself caving under his pleading gaze.

"Please," he said again.

"Ugh fine!" I exploded. "I want to shower first. I'll be damned if I'm letting a bunch of immortal vampires see me in the morning."

He nodded enthusiastically, his beam wider, if that was possible. I glared at him, before getting out of bed and moving to Edward's closet. I pulled out a grey sweater - courtesy of Alice - along with a plain white T-shirt and some boyfriend jeans.

Yes, blame Alice.

I showered quickly, washing my hair and brushing my teeth. My hair was growing well. I felt more like myself with long hair.

I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, some black strands coming from the bun. I glanced at my reflection, deemed myself presentable and exited the bathroom.

Edward was sat on my bed, which was now made with the comforter pulled over the duvet. The curtains were pulled back; I could see the sun rising over the horizon. It was a beautiful view.

"Ready?" Edward asked eagerly, appearing before me.

"Sure thing," I replied. "But can I give you yours first?"

He looked torn for a moment before nodding, sitting down on the bed and nodding. I grinned, eager now. Edward's present had taken a lot of tracking down. It was difficult to buy for an immortal, rich vampire.

So I decided on something new. Edward loved music, particularly playing and composing himself. I thought that my present wasn't obvious and somehow suitable.

I took it out of the wardrobe. The wrapping paper gleamed in the sunlight. It was a large present, rectangular.

"What's that?" Edward asked, half confused, half eager. He examined the present.

"Open it," I said, smiling.

Edward did as I said, opening the present slowly. He ripped the paper carefully, leaving it in a tiny ball on the floor. He looked curiously at the white box.

Then, slowly, he lifted the lid.

Inside, there lay a 1968 Fender Stratocaster. It was signed by Jimi Hendrix, and it was painted black. I had half an idea to engrave a message into the guitar, but changed my mind when I saw Jimi Hendrix's signature engraved into the guitar body.

"Ob gosh Leah..." Edward exclaimed. "Signed by Hendrix himself?"

"Of course," I replied, grinning. Edward's eyes were gleaming as he turned the guitar over in his hands. He gently laid it down on the bed, before looking at me, a blinding smile plastered to his face.

A second later, he pulled me into a tight hug. His cold temperature radiated from his skin; it was somehow comforting.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I've never tried guitar. Nowadays they aren't made very well. Though, this one seems to be very well assembled."

"I'm glad you like it. It took a long time to track that down," I smiles at him.

Edward beamed. "I bet."

He picked the guitar up and gently place it on his right knee. Then, he gently played a string; it resonated clearly throughout the room. Edward smiled gently.

"I can feel the strings vibrating," he told me. "It's nice."

I grinned along with him as he strummed another string.

XxXxXxXxX

Once Edward had tuned the guitar, we went downstairs. Esme was already downstairs in the kitchen with Carlisle. The other Cullens were still upstairs.

"Good morning Leah, Edward," Carlisle said, smiling.

"Morning Carlisle," Edward and I replied at the same time. "Morning Esme," I added.

"Good morning dear," Esme said, just as the toaster popped. Two brown slices popped up, which Esme nimbly caught and placed on a china plate. She spread it with butter and handed it to me.

"I guess you were expecting me?" I grinned.

"I heard the shower," she replied, smiling.

"Come on Leah," Edward said, impatient as always. I ignored him, sitting down at the kitchen island and tucking into my toast.

"Leahh..." he whined like a child.

"It's Christmas Ed, let me eat in peace," I said through a mouthful of toast.

Esme and Carlisle exchanged an amused look as I threw Edward a glare; he pouted under my gaze.

Barely two minutes later, my plate was clean and Edward was dragging me eagerly through the front door of the Cullen house, out into the cold.

I shivered slightly as Edward pulled me around to the side of the building.

He stopped just before the large garage that held the Cullen cars, and grinned at me. He'd done nothing but grin all day.

"Okay... I couldn't wrap it, but here goes..."

Edward unlocked the door and slid it up, revealing the inside of the garage. I followed him inside, trying to avoid touching the expensive cars that filled the garage.

"Here," he finally stopped at the very back of the garage, behind a suspicious looking object that was covered by a black sheet.

"Go ahead," he said, stepping back. I looked at him curiously, before stepping forwards and pulling the sheet away in one movement.

I gasped aloud at what I saw.

It was black and silver, and it was gleaming. It looked amazing, even under the fluorescents. I recognised the bike immediately; it was a friggin Ducati.

A beautiful Ducati.

"Oh my god," I gasped, squealing like a little girl. I ran my hand along the bike. "It's beautiful."

"Do you like it?" Edward seemed anxious.

"Like it?" I replied. "I love it!"

"Good," Edward looked pleased with himself. "Here are the keys."

I took the keys from Edward's hand and climbed onto the bike. Jacob had taught me to ride about a year ago, but I'd never had my own bike.

I kicked the stand up and revved the engine; it growled eagerly at my lightest touch. I had the urge to take the bike for a run around town - and gloat to Jacob - but I knew I couldn't.

"Take it for a spin," Edward suggested, obviously reading my thoughts. "It won't take you long; nobody's up yet anyway."

"But I'd feel bad leaving you here," I admitted.

"I don't mind," Edward replied.

I looked behind me, hit by an idea. "Why don't you ride on the back?"

Edward grinned.

"Nice idea."

XxXxXxXxX

"Whoo-hoo!"

I yelled as the bike skidded to a halt on the pebbles before the Cullen house. It was an amazing machine, it was so fast and graceful on the road. Edward had yelled about how great it was and attempted to bore me with the facts of horsepower and such during the ride.

"It's amazing," I gushed, climbing from the bike and hugging Edward tightly. The scent of him was sweet in an odd way. It was comforting; it was just… Edward. Familiar.

Home.

"I'm glad you like it," Edward replied. I could hear the smile in his voice. "I considered a Harley Davidson…"

"Oh no, I love the Ducati! A Harley would be too big for me," I replied.

"Fair point," Ed grinned.

"I could be offended," I replied, grinning.

We went inside again, to find the Cullens were all awake in the lounge. The TV was on, playing A Christmas Carol; though no one was watching it. They were exchanging gifts.

"Leah!" Emmett exclaimed as we walked through and sat down in the loveseat. I noticed a string of mistletoe that hung above us, but ignored it. The last thing I needed was Emmett cat calling and whistling through Christmas Dinner.

"Hi Emmett," I said, "I've got your gift upstairs."

"Awesome!" he said, "I've got yours here. Wanna open it now?"

He looked so eager, eyes shining, that I shrugged and grinned at him.

"Sure, Em. Thanks a bunch," I added, hoping he took me seriously. It really meant a lot that they had bought for me.

"It's from me and Rosie," he said, as I took the gift. I nodded, smiling at Rosalie – who I was sure had no say in the gift at all – but she merely glared in response. I ripped the paper open eagerly, looking down at the contents.

There were two things inside. The first was a joke book, filled with pranks to pull and jokes to tell your friends. I smiled as I read the message Emmett had written in the front.

_Leah, _

_Merry Christmas. You're going to need this if you're going to be my partner in pranks. _

_Love from us, _

_Rose and Emmett _

I grinned and thanked Emmett with a hug, and nodded at Rosalie – who glared at me. Then, I looked at the second gift. It was a grey wolf plushie, with a piece of card underneath. I smiled as I looked at the plushie, before examining the piece of card.

_Thank you for adopting Leah_

_The Native American Wolf _

"Awh Emmett," I laughed, hugging him again. "Thank you."

"S'okay Leah," Emmett grinned. "Take good care of her."

"I will," I replied, grinning. "I'll get your present Em. Rose."

I ran upstairs, retrieved everyone's presents from Edward's closet, and dashed back downstairs to the lounge. I handed Emmett his present, threw Rosalie's at her, gave Alice and Jasper theirs, and finally gave Carlisle and Esme their presents.

I watched as Emmett eagerly ripped the wrapping paper from his present, leaving it discarded on the floor as he looked at his present.

Of course, Emmett was easy to buy for. His likes and dislikes were quite generic for males, and his childish side was easy to attend to as well. I'd seen how much Emmett loved his video games, in particular, Modern Warfare 2… with this in mind, I'd decided to buy the childish immortal vampire…

"Modern Warfare 3!" he exclaimed, beaming widely. He looked like Christmas had come early… oh wait. Never mind.

"Yup," I replied, smiling at his enthusiasm. "I saw it and thought of you."

"I can't believe you got this for me… it costs like fifty dollars Leah!"

"I found a place to get it cheaper," I replied, "don't worry about the cost anyways Emmett. We're friends, remember?"

"Yeah… buddies," Emmett said, looking a little stunned.

"Now, that makes us sound lame," I grinned.

Rosalie ripped the paper from her present next, nose wrinkled up at the scent of werewolves. She didn't exactly smell like a bunch of roses. More like a bunch of Roses Chocolates, coated with caramel, cinnamon, toffee, fudge, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and topped off with gooey marshmallows.

Ick.

However, rather than complaining about the smell as she would have done under normal circumstances, the vain vampire didn't comment; she just pulled her present from the gold wrapping paper, and gazed at it with a mixture of confusion and anger brewing in her eyes.

Rosalie's first present didn't cost very much; so I felt bad about not getting her very much. It was a mirror, large enough to hang on a wall, but not too big. It had a gilded golden frame, with a very clean surface. With werewolf eyes, I could see no smudges on the surface. I had a feeling that the vampires could see lots of smudges on the silvery surface.

She smiled at the surface, nodded at me, before looking into the wrapping paper and retrieving her second gift.

It was a book. 'How To Be Vain.' I thought it was perfectly fitting, considering Rosalie's conceited personality. However, the vampire herself didn't seem to be amused as she threw me a glare and put the book on the arm of her chair.

"Thanks for the mirror," she said. I noticed that she didn't mention the book; I had half a mind to mention it, but changed my mind. Normally, I would've jumped at the chance to argue with Rosalie… but I didn't want to on Christmas Day.

"Being the bigger person for once?" Edward commented on my thoughts, as he always did. I didn't respond.

"No problem Rosalie," I said.

"Call me Rose," she said stiffly. Then, she turned on her silver high heels and walked out of the room, disappearing up the flight of stairs beside the lounge. We all sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before Emmett broke into raucous laughter.

"My god Leah you're a card!" he burst out laughing again.

"She doesn't want me here," it wasn't a question.

"No," Edward replied. I was glad he was honest. "Her thoughts are a little kinder towards you now. It's often a sign when she asks you to call her by her chosen nickname."

"Hmm," I replied.

"Your turn Leah!" Alice danced into the room, holding a large silver present. There was a strand of silver ribbon tied around it. Alice thrust it into my hands. "Jazzy, go and get the second present!" Alice commanded.

Jasper shot me a grin, disappearing in a white blur. He reappeared within a couple of seconds, holding another large parcel. It was wrapped like the first present. Jasper set it down beside me, on the ground. I sat down, crossed my legs and eagerly pulled the ribbon from the present. I smiled and pulled the wrapping paper off completely, looking at the contents.

It was a box, with a picture of a black helmet. It was stylish though, with white flowers around the sides. There was a black visor to go over my eyes. I loved it already; it was very dark, yet somehow very me. I eagerly opened the box and put the helmet onto my head.

Emmett seemed amused by this; he started rolling around on the ground, laughing hysterically.

"I love it, thanks Alice, Jasper," I said, "I'm sure Edward would protest if I didn't have a helmet."

"It was partly his idea," Alice told me, beaming. "I had a vision of him buying you a hideous red helmet. You hated it too. So I jumped in."

I turned to the second present. It was obviously clothing; of course. What else would Alice have bought me?

I tore the paper into shreds, and then looked down at the present.

It was beautiful. It was a leather jacket, with a high neck, and two breast pockets. It had a wool lined neck too. I eagerly pulled it out and tried it on; it fitted perfectly, of course. Alice was a genius when it came to picking out clothes. I would've been shocked if it hadn't fit.

"I love it Ali," I said, hugging the little pixie-esque vampire. "Thank you. And you Jasper," I smiled at him.

"This was all Alice," Jasper told me. "I only helped with the helmet."

"Thank you anyway," I said.

"It's for when you're riding on your bike. It's protective," Alice told me, "and it's stylish as well. I saw Edward buying you a red leather jacket," she shuddered, "hideous thing. I knew you wouldn't like that either."

I smiled. Alice.

"Here's yours," I said, passing Alice her parcel. She was incredibly difficult to buy for, of course. Hyperactive pixie, who loved clothes. Obviously, I couldn't get Alice clothes; I didn't know her tastes very well. Besides, she had all the clothes she would want anyway, being rich. I couldn't get her food, because she was a vampire. So that left limited options.

I settled on two items, both books.

I got her the first book in the Shopaholic series. It seemed very Alice-y, like she'd enjoy it. There was a series of the Shopaholic books, but I didn't want to get her all of them in case she disliked the first book. I didn't want to pressure her into reading them all.

The second book was a bit of a gamble. Alice loved Porsches, she was obsessed. After her Porsche 911 Turbo died on her, she'd had it fixed but treated it as an antique, or something. Edward replaced it with a Boxster Spyder, a white one. It was a beautiful car.

So, I'd decided to get her a Porsche book. It was the complete book of 911 Porsches; every model since 1964. I had a feeling Alice would find more Porsches that she'd want to buy from reading it as well.

"Oh wow!" Alice gasped, flicking through the books. "I'm gonna love reading these," she looked up. "Thanks Leah."

"No problem Alice," I replied.

I watched as the rest of the Cullens opened their presents. I got Jasper a book; a guide to Harley Davidson motorbikes. I got Esme a cooking book, filled with recipes for all occasions, and Carlisle a silver chain with a silver cross attached. Edward had told me about Carlisle's views on the afterlife, and God's will.

"Come on, Carlisle," Esme said, once we'd all unwrapped out presents. "We need to tend to the turkey."

"Turkey?" Edward, Emmett and I all said at once.

"None of us can eat, Esme," Emmett said, stating the obvious.

"I know," Esme replied defensively, smiling, "it's for Leah. We couldn't have her eating from Pringle tubes all day now, could we?"

Carlisle and Esme disappeared from the room before any of us could respond.

XxXxXxX

**A.N: Review, maybe? **

**Next chapter: Christmas Dinner and the moment you've all been waiting for. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: Apologies for the extreme lateness, I had extreme WB! Hopefully this is alright for you **

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 – Emmett's Unreliable Stomach<p>

My bike was perfect.

The snarling, thunderous growls emitting from the engine were absolutely amazing to hear; the bike had a spirit of its own. I could feel the body vibrating beneath me as the vehicle urged me to just leave, and enjoy the speed rather than waiting for Edward to dig out his gifts; one for Seth, the other for my mom.

"God's sake," I muttered angrily, revving the engine a little, enjoying the power I could feel radiating through the bike. A second later, a white figure appeared before me; Edward, of course.

He was smirking broadly; obviously he had enjoyed my internal battle. In one of his hands were two presents, both wrapped in what seemed to be his favourite silver wrapping paper. One was a box, square. I could smell the scent of chocolate, wafting towards me even through the wrapping paper.

"Don't worry, there's another one for you in the kitchen," Edward told me, reading my thoughts. I glared at him.

"They were buy one get one free!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air melodramatically. "That's a bargain, is it not?"

"Not when the first box cost thirty dollars, no," I replied sarcastically.

"Twenty nine ninety five, actually," he scoffed.

"Why are you defending Walmart?" I asked curiously.

"It wasn't Walmart!" he replied heatedly. He glared at me. "You're going to be late if you don't set off right now."

"How do you know that, smart arse?" I replied quickly, enjoying our banter a little. I hoped he didn't catch that thought.

"Alice," Edward replied, as if it was obvious. I glared at him, knowing that he'd won. Edward knew it too; he smiled smugly and waved a hand at me, putting the presents into the bag strapped to the back of the bike.

"Esme says that the turkey will be finished in one hour, so it should be ready in about seventy six minutes," Edward told me.

"Seventy six?" I demanded, catching the little detail.

"Alice," Edward replied grudgingly. "Actually, she said seventy six minutes, thirty four seconds and point four of a second within that second."

"Not OCD at all then, eh?" I replied cheerfully. "I'm gonna get off now. Won't be long Ed."

"You can invite your family for dinner hear, you know," Edward said, just as I was revving up the bike. "There's more than enough food. As it is, your leftovers are going to be taken to the hospital, so…"

"I'll see what Mom says," I replied. I knew what she would say; Mom wasn't exactly happy about my relationship with Edward, but she made do with it. After all, Seth liked the Cullens, so she saw no harm. I knew what she'd say if I invited her for dinner with them though.

I revved up the bike, enjoying the power radiating through the body beneath me. I pulled my helmet over my head, feeling claustrophobic for a couple of seconds. It passed almost instantly, and I grinned as I revved the bike, the wheels squealing against the pebbles covering the Cullen drive.

I turned tail quickly, the bike growling thunderously as I sped along the little country lane leading to the house. I turned back slightly, and I was highly amused to see Edward's stunned expression as he watched me disappear.

XxXxXxXxX

"Leah!"

My gangly little brother tripped lightly down the driveway to where I stood; obviously he'd heard the growling of my bike a mile away. He looked just the same as ever, eyes lit up with happiness, which quickly turned to envy as he gazed longingly at my new Ducati.

"Hiya Seth," I replied, climbing from the bike, pulling my helmet from my head. I grinned at him, watching as his eyes popped wide; he finally realised exactly what the bike was.

"Who got you this?" he demanded, just gaping at my new ride.

"Ed," I replied, "he does the whole generosity thing to the extreme. I love it though; it rides like a friggin' dream Seth."

"I bet! Can I touch it?" He asked eagerly, smiling as he finally looked up at me. "Whoa, nice jacket. And boots. Is this all from the Cullens?"

"Yeah," I replied, "I felt like a bit of a schmuck with my crappy presents compared to this."

"Don't say that Lee, I bet they loved their stuff. Especially Ed; that was a Jimi Hendrix original you know… an original!" Seth replied. He'd briefly played guitar as a teen, but abandoned it after about a year of practice. He could probably still do the basics if he wanted to; but he didn't want to.

"Yeah," I didn't want to fight with him. "Happy Christmas little bro."

"Happy Christmas Lee," Seth pulled me into a warm hug; he was taller than me by several inches now.

"Leah?"

I grinned as Mom stepped down the drive, dressed in her infamous Christmas Apron, a chef's hat perched on her head. Her cheeks were stained with flour, and her hair was twisted back into a bun. She looked incredibly tired; probably been on the night shift, or something.

But she still managed to smile widely as she saw me, ran up to me on her high heels and pulled me into a hug. She pulled away, her smile not fading in the slightest as she pulled me towards the house.

"Come on in honey, I don't want the neighbours seeing me like this," she said, grinning playfully as she towed me into the house. "Seth, come on!" Mom called after him as she saw him gazing longingly at my bike.

He sighed heavily; "Coming."

XxXxXxXxX

Dust was stirred up from the road as I sped down the country lane leading to the Cullen's mansion. I knew I would need to wipe off my helmet; it was covered in tiny little squashed bugs. How extremely attractive.

The Ducati skidded to a halt, the pebbles flew up from the road, scattering all around me as I grinned, noticing Edward's precense. He was silent, but a smile played around his lips as he watched me.

I decided to play with him a little. I slowly pulled my helmet from my head, shaking my head slowly, my hair falling back to my shoulders. I kicked down the bike stand, bringing one leg over the bike – slowly – and placing it on the ground. Finally, I stood up and walked past Edward slowly, accenting my movements.

Edward smirked broadly at me.

"That would have been hot… but the scent of dead flies kind of ruined it."

He disappeared into the house just in time; my fist flew straight through the patch of air where his head had just been.

XxXxXxXxX

"Leah!"

Apparently Emmett was pleased to see me, as I heard the screams and yells of his new game abruptly cut off, followed shortly by the sound of his thunderous footsteps advancing towards me. I sidestepped so that my body was just behind Edward's; he smirked broadly, folded his arms.

"Move out of the way Eddie," Emmett commanded. When Edward didn't move, Emmett shoved him to the side as if he was lighter than a feather, before pulling me into what could have been a bone crushing hug. I was actually thankful for my werewolf strength at that moment.

"Miss me?" I laughed, trying to pull away; but the big buffoon held on harder, not releasing me from his clutches. He was pretty damned cold too.

"Of course! It's boring without you here," Emmett seemed unabashed at his confession; I grinned.

"Well that's nice to know," I replied, "most of the old pack thought it was boring when I arrived."

A low growl came from Edward.

"You're not boring! Do I need to beat someone up?" he seemed eager at a challenge, rolling up his sleeves and looking around, as if someone was going to pop up and shout 'boo.'

"What's all this talk of beating somebody up?" Jasper drawled, Texan accent slurring his words.

"Some bastards in the pack being harsh to Leah," I enjoyed the fact that Emmett was acting like a big brother to me.

"Emmett McCarthy Cullen!" Esme stormed, also entering the little hallway just before the front door. She had a white starch apron on, a chef's hat perched on her head. She looked threatening, a scowl on her face as she glared at the biggest Cullen.

Emmett cowered noticeably under her gaze.

"Sorry Mom," he said, sheepish.

"Would you all like to come through? Dinner's on the table," Esme said, smiling at me in particular. "I'll deal with you later," she added as Emmett walked past her.

Edward took my hand, pulled me through to the dining room. The temperature of his hand gave me shivers, for some reason. Maybe it was just the unfamiliar, granite feel of his skin.

"Scared?" He asked in amusement.

"Certainly not, Mr Cullen," I replied, smiling. "What are your family going to do while I'm eating?"

"They're going to sit with us at the table," Edward told me; "we always sit at the table, and have all of the Christmas dinner meal. We don't eat it; well, most of us don't. Last year Emmett ate the same amount that a human would eat; he didn't stop throwing up for days."

"Okay, thanks for that image buddy," I rolled my eyes at him.

"No problem," Edward replied cheerily.

Esme really was an interior designer; the dining room looked fantastic. She'd rearranged Emmett's crude Christmas decorations, somehow made them seem classy. The curtains were cream, covering the transparent doors leading into the garden. The table was covered in a white tablecloth, and eight plates were laid out around it.

"Wow Esme, this looks fantastic," I said honestly.

"Thank you dear," Esme replied. "Carlisle, come and help me get the food."

Carlisle stood up obediently, putting down the local paper, grinning at me before he followed his wife into the kitchen. A second later, the table was covered in food. Emmett beamed, holding up his knife and fork in both hands. He grinned widely, a maniacal expression, rolling his eyes around before stabbing the chicken.

"Emmett!" Esme chastened.

"Sorry Mom."

I cut off a bit of chicken, so did Emmett, Alice, and Edward, oddly enough. He grinned at me when I thought that; stuffing the entire piece into his mouth. He gagged a little as he swallowed.

I ignored the vampires attempting to be normal, tucked into my own food eagerly.

About halfway through the meal, I glanced up to see Emmett gagging violently. I let out a noise of frustration as the vampire disappeared into the hallway; he thundered up the stairs. I groaned aloud as I heard the toilet lid crash against the back of the toilet, followed by the sound of the hideous splattering of vomit.

"I've had enough I think," I murmured, pushing my plate away a little.

"Emmett!" Esme yelled. "No Modern Warfare games for two weeks."

"Awh, Mom! That wasn't my fault!"

"Emmett, you didn't have to eat the food… you knew that you would end up throwing it up later," Esme said sternly. "No Modern Warfare for two weeks. Or else."

"Yes Mom. Sorry Mom."

I grinned.

XxXxXxXxX

_**A.N: Thanks for reading guys, the last chapter will hopefully be up today, or tomorrow at latest! **_


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: I know it's after Christmas now, but I was desperate to put this up; I didn't want to disappoint. Also; a message to Unknown Girl, if she's reading of course…**

**Unknown Girl: I am in progress of writing the next chapter of IWMUH, I'm sorry it took so darned long for me to shake off this dratted WB. Hopefully it's all in the past now and I'm ready to update more often. Crossed fingers over here : ) **

Chapter 5 – Baseball In The Snow

"Ready?"

Alice was lethal with a baseball bat; I had to remember that for future reference. We were currently stood in the Cullen's favourite forest, in the clearing that they'd picked out to play baseball in. Team 1, as I had creatively named them, consisted of Alice, Jasper, Esme and Carlisle. They'd batted first, and Alice was very good at the game. It was probably partly due to the fact that she could cheat and use her psychic visions to help her see exactly when to hit the ball.

It was our turn now – Team 2, which was me, Edward, Rosalie and Emmett. I knew that Edward would be amazing at this game; I had no qualms admitting that even in my head. He had the speed, and the vampire senses. Obviously he was going to do well; it didn't take master powers of deduction.

"Of course," I replied. I held the bat firmly within my hands, feeling the smooth wood against my fingers made it feel all the more real. I had a second family.

"Go!"

The ball flew through the air towards me at top speed; Alice's pitching technique was obviously perfect too. I swung the bat forwards; the ball connected with it with a loud crack. It reverberated through the forest around us. I dashed straight for first base, running the whole way around the pitch as fast as I could.

"Woot! Come on Leah!" Emmett yelled, doing some kind of dance at the sidelines. I grinned as I stepped over the line to fourth base, smiling smugly at Alice, who glared at me in turn.

The games continued; after we played baseball, we played soccer and then finally called it a day. Plus, Alice had foreseen that if we continued playing, somebody would have heard the crashes, and we would have been discovered by locals. Obviously that wouldn't have been good, so we returned to the Cullen household.

XxXxXxX

Alice decided it would be a good idea to watch some Christmas Movies, so we spent the next three hours watching Tom and Jerry Christmas Specials.

"Hey Leah, how much popcorn have you eaten in the past three hours?" Emmett asked me. It was ten to eight, the sky was dark outside. Still, Emmett was as energetic as ever; he beamed at me, looking exceptionally curious.

"A bit," I replied, a little embarrassed. I looked at the all but empty bag in front of me, and grinned wryly. "More than you, that's for sure."

"I bet I could beat you," he said eagerly, always up for a challenge. A second later, he seemed to realise what he'd said though, and I could easily imagine his face turning a pale shade of green.

"Prove it," I replied. Emmett let out a groan of frustration, but disappeared into the kitchen and emerged holding another bag of popcorn. He opened it and began stuffing the popcorn into his mouth; the expression of disgust made me laugh hysterically.

"Em, it's not worth it," Rose said. She grinned at me, shaking her head at her husband's antics.

"It is!" he protested around a mouthful of popcorn.

Barely a second later, there was another loud retch and Emmett had disappeared from the room.

"I could see that coming," Edward told me from the couch.

"So could everyone," I replied.

"But I saw it first!" Alice exclaimed. We all laughed.

A couple of minutes later, Emmett re-entered the room, stinking of puke. I wrinkled up my nose; so did everyone else.

"Emmett you stink, go and take a breath mint or something," Rosalie said.

Emmett sighed heavily and disappeared again. I grinned. Emmett was such an idiot.

He returned a couple of minutes later, smelling acceptable. At least the smell of sick wasn't following him anymore. It was obvious his confidence had taken a knock; he wore a sad expression on his face, and he was looking at the floor.

I wasn't going to go easy on him though. He never went easy on me.

"So, looks like I win that round," I grinned.

"But I could beat you at Modern Warfare," he grinned.

"No way Emmett," I replied.

"Yes way," Emmett beamed. "Come on," he tossed me a controller, already starting up the game.

I grinned in response.

"You're going down."

XxXxXxXxX

It took three effin' hours for Emmett to finally admit defeat. I must've won at least twenty times; Emmett won about five. He continued to insist that I was cheating, even though it wasn't possible with a mind reader and a psychic in the house. Emmett was so childish, but his antics always made me smile.

Apart from when he made me play Call of Duty for three effin' hours! Jeez.

"Did you enjoy that?" Edward asked. We were the only two in the room, sitting on the loveseat. There was a bunch of mistletoe hanging above us; it smelt vile. I was resisting the urge to gag. I wondered how bad it was for the vamps.

"It smells better than most human food," Edward replied.

"It's poisonous," I grinned at him. "Want some?" I asked, pulling a piece of mistletoe from the bunch and trying to stuff it into his mouth. Edward recoiled away from me, nose wrinkled in distaste.

"I'm quite alright, thank you," he replied stiffly.

The house was quiet by this point. It was ten to eleven, at night, and most of the Cullen couples had returned to their rooms for their 'resting' period. I didn't really want to know.

"At least you don't have to hear their thoughts," Edward quipped in a disgusted voice. "It's repulsive, having to listen to your brothers and sisters when they're…"

"Alright buddy, don't need the mental image," I replied, leaning back against the arm of the couch. Edward flashed me a grin, before looking towards the fireplace. A small fire burned in the grate; a homely touch. I liked it.

"I love your house," I told him.

"So do I," he replied.

Silence followed this; it was comfortable though. I heard a clock chime eleven in the darkness.

"Today was a good day," I said. "Christmas at the Cullen's was much more fun than I imagined it to be."

"I take it that's a good thing?" he questioned, eyebrow arched.

"It is."

Another pause; it was slightly awkward this time.

"I'm going up to bed," I said.

"Wait," Edward called as I stood up. He had one hand stretched out towards me, an unfamiliar emotion behind his eyes. The expression on his face suddenly became cocky as he gestured to the mistletoe. "You would be defying tradition if you left now."

"Oh, would I?"

I leaned down, bringing my face closer to his. I could smell his breath; it smelt of cinnamon, oddly enough. I inhaled through my nose, smiling broadly as I angled my lips ready…

…And planted a kiss on his stone cold cheek.

"Cheeky little bugger," I whispered as I pulled away.

Edward grinned.

"But you love me for it."

I couldn't argue with that logic.


End file.
